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1Artifact for "Verified Interpreters for Dynamic Languages with Applications to the Nix Expression Language"
2===========================================================================================================
3
4This is the accompanying artifact for the following paper:
5> Rutger Broekhoff and Robbert Krebbers. 2025. Verified Interpreters for Dynamic Languages with Applications to the Nix Expression Language. _Proc. ACM Program. Lang._ 9, ICFP, Article 268 (August 2025), 29 pages. https://doi.org/10.1145/3747537
6
7This artifact primarily consists of two components:
81. A Rocq formalization of the languages presented in the paper (LambdaLang; § 2, DynLang; § 3, EvalLang; § 3.4, NixLang; § 4).
9 This includes operational semantics and properties, an interpreter and correctness proof, plus some tests and examples.
102. An OCaml front-end for NixLang (§ 5), which elaborates Nix source files into NixLang.
11 These are then evaluated using the NixLang interpreter, which is derived from the Rocq sources using Rocq's program extraction functionality.
12
13> N.B.: If you are using the VM image that we provide for evaluating the artifact, then all necessary dependencies will already be installed using `opam`.
14> You can directly proceed with using the [Dune project and Makefile](#dune-project-and-makefile) or [using the CLI](#usage-of-the-cli).
15
16For the purposes of evaluating the artifact, we suggest the following steps:
171. [Building](#building) (this must certainly be done first).
182. Comparing that the mechanized semantics and interpreters of the defined languages match those presented in the paper.
19 The mechanization of all languages follows a [common structure](#structure-of-the-mechanization), but we also have a [table](#index-of-definitions-and-theories) that points you directly to the relevant definitions.
203. Comparing that the mechanized theorems correspond to those presented in the paper.
21 We have a [table](#index-of-definitions-and-theories) that lists all theorems in the paper and their corresponding version in the formalization.
22 The paper mentions some properties/proofs in passing, we list the corresponding mechanized versions for these as well (but it may be less relevant to verify these, as they are primarily used as stepping stones for the major theorems presented in the paper).
234. Exercising the Nix test suite on our interpreter and verifying that this gives the same results as presented in the paper (§ 5).
245. Trying out some Nix programs in our REPL.
25 The paper (§ 1, § 4.1, § 5) contains some examples that might be interesting to try out.
26
27You may also be interested in the [axioms used](#use-of-axioms) by the mechanization, or in reproducing the interpreter coverage number (91.77%, § 5, p. 22) and Table 1 (§ 5 p. 22).
28How to do this depends on the build method that you are using, see the followings section.
29
30> N.B.: We have only verified this artifact to function on Linux (Arch Linux, Debian) and macOS. It does not work on Windows.
31
32## Building
33
34As mentioned at the start, this project consists of two parts: the Rocq mechanization and the front-end of the Nix interpreter.
35The front-end of the Nix interpreter, which uses the makes use of the NixLang interpreter (written in Rocq, extracted to OCaml), is built using [Dune](https://dune.build/).
36The Dune project also takes care of checking all of the parts of the Rocq mechanization, and extracting the NixLang interpreter to OCaml.
37However, for convenience, we have a separate (classic) `Makefile` which checks only the Rocq sources (this may be more familiar to some, and will explicitly print the files being checked).
38(Do note that Dune will refuse to build if the `.vo` files resulting from the checking process are not cleaned up; this can be done using `make clean`.)
39
40*Both parts require dependencies.*
41We have two main ways of managing the dependencies of the project: either using Nix or `opam`.
42
43If you are familiar with Nix and have it available to you, it will likely be most easy to use.
44If you are just interested in using Nix to build the project (so not directly interacting with the Dune project / Makefile), look [here](#building-with-nix).
45If you are instead interested in interacting with `dune`, Makefile and/or other scripts in this repository, you should probably use the Nix devshell instead.
46For that, look [here](#managing-dependencies-nix-devshell).
47With the devshell set up, you can then proceed with using the [Dune project and Makefile](#dune-project-and-makefile).
48
49If you cannot or do not want to use Nix, there is always still `opam`.
50Look [here](#managing-dependencies-opam) to see how to install project dependencies with `opam`.
51With the dependencies installed using `opam`, you can then proceed with using the [Dune project and Makefile](#dune-project-and-makefile).
52
53### Building with Nix
54
55> N.B.: Only do this if you are solely interested in building/testing and/or using the artifact. If you are interested in being able to manually use the `Makefile` and Dune project, you should use a Nix devshell instead; look [here](#nix-devshell) for instructions.
56
57Run `nix-build` (or equivalently `nix-build ./default.nix`) to build and test the artifact. This will take a few minutes.
58The resulting CLI should then be available as `./result/bin/mininix`.
59See how to use the CLI [below](#usage-of-the-cli).
60For some more details on the test suite, look [here](#use-of-the-nix-language-tests).
61
62Run `nix-build ./axioms.nix` to generate the list of axioms used by the formalization.
63This is equivalent to running `make validate`.
64The output of `coqchk` should be printed directly, but will also be stored at `./result/coqchk-output`.
65See [below](#use-of-axioms) for more information on the axioms used.
66
67In the paper, we report a 91.77% coverage for the interpreter code extracted from Rocq.
68To generate the coverage report, run `nix-build ./coverage.nix`.
69The coverage report should then be available as `./result/coverage/report-plain` (a text file, look for `lib/extraction/interp.ml` for the interpreter coverage).
70A HTML version is also generated, the report for the interpreter should then be available under `./result/coverage/html/lib/extraction/interp.ml.html`.
71
72To generate the line counts for the Rocq development (for comparison with Table 1 in the article), run `nix-build ./cloc.nix`.
73The resulting report should be available as a text file `./result/formalization-loc-report`.
74
75### Managing dependencies: Nix devshell
76
77The Nix devshell gives you a shell where all required dependencies are installed for you, so you do not have to fiddle with `opam`, but can still use the Dune project and Makefile that we provide.
78There are a few ways that you can use the devshell.
79
80Enter the devshell by running `nix-shell`.
81You can then proceed with using the [Dune project and Makefile](#dune-project-and-makefile) *inside of the Nix devshell*.
82
83### Managing dependencies: opam
84
85First, ensure that your `opam` repositories are up-to-date:
86```sh
87opam update
88```
89
90For maximum flexibility and reproducibility, we recommend running the following
91command to create a new opam switch in which the pinned dependencies are
92installed (this includes the required Rocq, Flocq, Rocq-std++ versions etc.):
93
94```sh
95# Leave out the --locked flag if not on Linux!
96opam switch create ./ --repos default,rocq-released=https://rocq-prover.org/opam/released --deps-only --locked
97```
98
99It may be necessary to activate the newly set up opam switch as follows (if
100you are not sure and opam instructs you to run this after creating the switch:
101_do_ run it):
102
103```sh
104eval $(opam env)
105```
106
107The [Dune project `Makefile`](#dune-project-and-makefile) can then be used as usual.
108
109### Dune project and `Makefile`
110
111#### The Makefile (just the formalization)
112
113If you are solely interested in the Rocq sources, you may make use of the `Makefile` to check and build Rocq sources and dependencies, provided that you have the appropriate [Rocq](https://rocq-prover.org/), [Flocq](https://flocq.gitlabpages.inria.fr/) and [Rocq-std++](https://gitlab.mpi-sws.org/iris/stdpp) versions available (8.20.1, 4.2.0/4.2.1 and 1.11.0 resp.).
114When using a Nix devshell or an `opam` switch with the required dependencies installed (instructions above), this should work automatically.
115
116Run `make` to check all files in the formalization.
117Run `make validate` to print the axioms used.
118See [below](#use-of-axioms) for more information on the axioms used.
119
120#### The Dune project (formalization + front-end)
121
122> N.B.: Dune will produce errors if `.vo` files generated by the `Makefile` are present.
123> Remove these by running `make clean`.
124> The Dune project will then build.
125
126This step assumes that you have dependencies installed and available, either using `opam` or a Nix devshell.
127See the relevant sections above.
128
129To check all proofs and build the CLI, use `dune build -p mininix`.
130To then run the CLI, use `./_build/default/bin/main.exe` (see how to use it [below](#usage-of-the-cli)).
131To execute the test suite, use `dune test` (this may take a few minutes).
132For some more details on the test suite, look [here](#use-of-the-nix-language-tests).
133
134To generate the coverage report, run `./coverage.sh` (this will take a few minutes).
135The report will then be printed directly (look for `lib/extraction/interp.ml`).
136A detailed HTML report should also be available under `_coverage/html/lib/extraction/interp.ml.html`.
137
138To generate the line counts for the Rocq development (for comparison with Table 1 in the article), make sure that `cloc` and `jq` are installed (if not using the provided Nix shell).
139Then run `./cloc-rocq.sh` to print the report.
140
141## Usage of the CLI
142
143Depending on how you built the CLI, it will be available to you as `./_build/default/bin/main.exe` (Dune) or `./result/bin/mininix` (Nix).
144In these examples, replace `<cli>` with the actual path of the CLI binary.
145
146- As a Nix REPL: `<cli> repl`.
147 Various meta-commands are available: `:quit`, `:run`, `:set` and `:settings`.
148 Autocomplete for these meta-commands is available; it is possible to cycle through suggestions using <kbd>TAB</kbd>.
149 Input can be canceled using <kbd>Ctrl+C</kbd> and the REPL can be quit using `:quit` or <kbd>Ctrl+D</kbd>.
150 The REPL evaluates in deep mode by default.
151 This can be changed by using `:set eval_strategy shallow`.
152 The REPL does not handle newlines in user input (a newline is processed as a request to process input).
153
154 The expected format of user input is the Nix language (although, as mentioned in the paper, e.g. derivations are not supported).
155 The paper (§ 1, § 4.1, § 5) contains some examples that might be interesting to try out.
156- For evaluating single files: `<cli> eval FILENAME`.
157 This command evaluates in shallow mode by default.
158 You can change to deep mode by using the flag `-strict`.
159 An import tree definition file can be passed using the `-importsdef` flag.
160 See [below](#import-tree-definitions).
161
162## The Rocq mechanization
163
164See how to check/build the mechanization [here](#build).
165This section describes the different parts of the mechanization, and how it relates to the different parts of the article.
166
167### Use of axioms
168
169See how to list the axioms used [above](#build) (look for the dependency management / build method that you are using).
170(In case that you are using the Makefile (so dependencies are managed using `opam` / the Nix devshell): run `make validate`. If you are using Nix but not the devshell: use `nix-build ./axioms.nix` (the axioms used will also be written to `result/coqchk-output`).)
171
172Use of four axioms will be reported, namely:
173```
174Coq.Logic.FunctionalExtensionality.functional_extensionality_dep
175Coq.Reals.ClassicalDedekindReals.sig_not_dec
176Coq.Reals.ClassicalDedekindReals.sig_forall_dec
177Coq.Logic.Classical_Prop.classic
178```
179*These are not axioms that we directly make use of.*
180Instead, they are marked as used because we import [Flocq](https://flocq.gitlabpages.inria.fr/) (so NixLang can support IEEE 754 floating point numbers, see `theories/nix/floats.v`), which imports the classical `Reals` module from the standard library.
181Running `coqchk` on the `Reals` module from the standard library gives the same list of axioms as shown above.
182
183### Structure of the mechanization
184
185There are two files that are shared by all four languages:
186- `theories/res.v`: contains the `res` monad. See also Fig 2. on p. 6.
187- `theories/utils.v`: contains some generic lemmas that are useful for all languages.
188 A decent amount of these are about finite maps, which we use heavily.
189
190There is a general structure for all four languages that we formalize:
191- `operational.v`: the definition of the operational semantics.
192 + Contains an inductive type `expr` for expressions.
193 + Contains a `step` relation that describes the small-step op. sem.
194 + Contains a `subst` function that gives parallel substitution (as used by `step`).
195- `operational_props.v`: properties of the operational semantics.
196 + Contains a lemma `step_det`, proving that the small-step op. sem. is deterministic.
197- `interp.v`: the definition of the interpreter.
198 + Contains the definition of values `val`, thunks `thunk` and environments `env`.
199 + Contains an `interp` function that takes some expression, environment and amount of fuel, and returns a result (timeout, fail or some value).
200 (In NixLang, we end up not using `interp` directly, but instead use `interp'` which wraps `interp` and allows specifying whether to evaluate in shallow/deep mode, cf. `⟦e⟧^{δ,E}_μ` (§ 4.4, p. 19).)
201- `interp_proofs.v`: soundness and completeness of interpreter w.r.t. operational semantics, in three main theorems:
202 + `interp_sound_complete_ret_string` (or `interp_sound_complete_ret_lit` for NixLang) proving the soundness and completeness for programs that reduce to strings (or literals in general in NixLang).
203 + `interp_sound_complete_fail` proving the soundness and completeness for programs that fault.
204 + `interp_sound_complete_no_fuel` proving the soundness and completeness for programs that loop.
205 For LambdaLang, an extra condition here is that the programs that we are considering must be closed.
206
207 There is also always a generalized version of `interp_sound_complete_ret_string/lit`, namely `interp_sound_complete_ret`, which states that the interpreter is sound and complete w.r.t. the operational semantics for (in case of LambdaLang closed) programs that reduce to a value.
208
209Specific to the different languages are the following files:
210- In `theories/dynlang` (for DynLang, § 3):
211 + `equiv.v`, the equivalence of LambdaLang and DynLang for closed LambdaLang terms.
212- In `theories/evallang` (for EvalLang, § 3.4):
213 + `tests.v`, some tests of the EvalLang expression parser and interpreter.
214- In `theories/nix` (for NixLang, § 4):
215 + `floats.v`: our Flocq instantiation with some helper functions.
216 + `notations.v`: some notations to make writing NixLang programs in Rocq easier.
217 + `tests.v`: some example NixLang programs to test the functionality of the interpreter with.
218 + `wp.v`: the definition of our proof-of-concept weakest precondition-based program logic, derived rules (see § 5).
219 + `wp_examples.v`: examples of use of our WP-based program logic (see § 5).
220
221### Index of definitions and theories
222
223**Relevant definitions.**
224
225| In paper | File and line number | Name |
226|----------------------------------------------------|---------------------------------------|--------------------------------|
227| Shared result monad (p. 6) | `theories/res.v:4` | `res` |
228| LambdaLang syntax (p. 6) | `theories/lambda/operational.v:6` | `expr` |
229| LambdaLang operational semantics (p. 6) | `theories/lambda/operational.v:21` | `step` |
230| LambdaLang final expressions (p. 6) | `theories/lambda/operational.v:28` | `final` |
231| LambdaLang parallel substitution (p. 6) | `theories/lambda/operational.v:12` | `subst` |
232| LambdaLang interpreter (p. 6) | `theories/lambda/interp.v:34` | `interp` |
233| LambdaLang interpreter data structures (p. 6) | `theories/lambda/interp.v:7-14` | `thunk`, `env`, `val` |
234| DynLang syntax (p. 9) | `theories/dynlang/operational.v:6` | `expr` |
235| DynLang operational semantics (p. 9) | `theories/dynlang/operational.v:21` | `step` |
236| DynLang final expressions (p. 9) | `theories/dynlang/operational.v:31` | `final` |
237| DynLang parallel substitution (p. 9) | `theories/dynlang/operational.v:12` | `subst` |
238| DynLang interpreter (p. 9) | `theories/dynlang/interp.v:39` | `interp` |
239| DynLang interpreter data structures (p. 9) | `theories/dynlang/interp.v:7-13` | `thunk`, `env`, `val` |
240| EvalLang syntax (p. 11) | `theories/evallang/operational.v:7` | `expr` |
241| EvalLang expression parser (p. 11) | `theories/evallang/operational.v:103` | `parse` |
242| EvalLang operational semantics (p. 11) | `theories/evallang/operational.v:119` | `step` |
243| EvalLang final expressions (p. 11) | `theories/evallang/operational.v:130` | `final` |
244| EvalLang interpreter (p. 11) | `theories/evallang/interp.v:42` | `interp` |
245| EvalLang interpreter data structures (p. 11) | `theories/evallang/interp.v:7-13` | `thunk`, `env`, `val` |
246| NixLang syntax (p. 14) | `theories/nix/operational.v:67` | `expr` |
247| NixLang operational semantics (p. 14) | `theories/nix/operational.v:444` | `step` |
248| NixLang evaluation contexts (p. 14) | `theories/nix/operational.v:418` | `ctx1` |
249| NixLang final expressions (p. 14) | `theories/nix/operational.v:139` | `final` |
250| NixLang binary operator semantics (p. 15) | `theories/nix/operational.v:297` | `sem_bin_op` |
251| NixLang argument matching (p. 15) | `theories/nix/operational.v:398` | `matches` |
252| NixLang substitution (p. 15) | `theories/nix/operational.v:112` | `subst` |
253| NixLang interpreter (p. 18) | `theories/nix/interp.v:329` | `interp` |
254| NixLang interpreter data structures (p. 18) | `theories/nix/interp.v:5-21` | `val`, `thunk`, `tattr`, `env` |
255| NixLang interpreter variant with mode arg. (p. 19) | `theories/nix/interp.v:348` | `interp'` |
256
257**Corresponding theorems.**
258
259| Theorem in paper | File and line number | Name |
260|---------------------------------|---------------------------------------|------------------------------------|
261| Theorem 2.1, Item 1 (p. 7) | `theories/lambda/interp_proofs.v:575` | `interp_sound_complete_ret_string` |
262| Theorem 2.1, Item 2 (p. 7) | `theories/lambda/interp_proofs.v:585` | `interp_sound_complete_fail` |
263| Theorem 2.1, Item 3 (p. 7) | `theories/lambda/interp_proofs.v:594` | `interp_sound_complete_no_fuel` |
264| Lemma 2.2 (p. 8) | `theories/lambda/interp_proofs.v:516` | `interp_sound_open` |
265| Lemma 2.3 (p. 8) | `theories/lambda/interp_proofs.v:402` | `interp_step` |
266| Lemma 2.4 (p. 8) | `theories/lambda/interp_proofs.v:297` | `interp_proper` |
267| Theorem 3.1, Item 1 (p. 11) | `theories/dynlang/equiv.v:120` | `interp_equiv_ret_string` |
268| Theorem 3.1, Item 2 (p. 11) | `theories/dynlang/equiv.v:131` | `interp_equiv_fail` |
269| Theorem 3.1, Item 3 (p. 11) | `theories/dynlang/equiv.v:142` | `interp_equiv_no_fuel` |
270| Theorem 4.1, Item 1 (p. 20) (*) | `theories/nix/interp_proofs.v:2655` | `interp_sound_complete_ret_lit` |
271| Theorem 4.1, Item 2 (p. 20) | `theories/nix/interp_proofs.v:2665` | `interp_sound_complete_fail` |
272| Theorem 4.1, Item 3 (p. 20) | `theories/nix/interp_proofs.v:2673` | `interp_sound_complete_no_fuel` |
273| Lemma 4.2 (p. 20) | `theories/nix/interp_proofs.v:2619` | `interp_sound_open'` |
274| Lemma 4.3 (p. 20) | `theories/nix/interp_proofs.v:2029` | `interp_step'` |
275
276(*): The theorem in the formalization is stronger than the theorem presented in the paper. The latter is a trivial specialization of the former.
277
278**Other claims in the paper.**
279
280- § 2, LambdaLang:
281 + p. 7: Theorem 2.1, Item 1 generalizes to any final value.
282 See `theories/lambda/interp_proofs.v:563`, `interp_sound_complete_ret`.
283 This also holds for DynLang, EvalLang and NixLang.
284 These languages have a theory `interp_sound_complete_ret` in their respective `interp_proofs.v` files as well.
285 + p. 7: LambdaLang has a deterministic operational semantics. See `theories/lambda/operational_props.v:19`, `step_det`.
286 This also holds for DynLang, EvalLang and NixLang.
287 These languages have a theory `step_det` in their respective `operational_props.v` files as well.
288- § 3, DynLang:
289 + p. 10: A variant of the main theorem of DynLang (Theorem 2.1) also holds for DynLang.
290 The primary difference here is that the closedness conditions are not needed for DynLang.
291 For a variant of Theorem 2.1, Item 1, see `theories/dynlang/interp_proofs.v:391`, `interp_sound_complete_ret_string`.
292 For a variant of Theorem 2.1, Item 2, see `theories/dynlang/interp_proofs.v:400`, `interp_sound_complete_fail`.
293 For a variant of Theorem 2.1, Item 3, see `theories/dynlang/interp_proofs.v:408`, `interp_sound_complete_no_fuel`.
294 A variant of the generalized version of Theorem 2.1, Item 1 also holds for DynLang.
295 See `theories/dynlang/interp_proofs.v:381`, `interp_sound_complete_ret`.
296- § 4, NixLang:
297 + p. 19/20: Theorem 4.1, Item 1 generalizes to any final value.
298 + p. 20: Lemma 4.2 follows from mutual induction on four properties.
299 For these four properties and their corresponding proof, see `theories/nix/interp_proofs.v:2267-2282` (`interp_sound_open`, `interp_thunk_sound`, `interp_app_sound`, `force_deep_sound`).
300 + p. 20: Lemma 4.3 follows from mutual induction on two properties.
301 For these two properties and their corresponding proof, see `theories/nix/interp_proofs.v:1519`, `interp_step`.
302- § 5, Evaluation (Program logic, p. 22):
303 + We can derive structural rules for WP (the application rule is presented).
304 See `theories/nix/wp.v:55`, `App_wp` for the presented application rule.
305 In general, `theories/nix/wp.v` contains all derived rules for WP.
306 + We prove the total correctness of three variants of the recursive program from § 4.1:
307 * See `theories/nix/wp_examples.v:84`, `even_rec_attr_wp'` for
308 ```nix
309 rec { f = x: if x = 0 then true else !(f (x - 1)); }.f n
310 ```
311 * See `theories/nix/wp_examples.v:132`, `even_rec_functor_wp'` for
312 ```nix
313 { "__functor " = r: x: if x == 0 then true else !(r (x - 1)); } n
314 ```
315 * See `theories/nix/wp_examples.v:157`, `even_rec_default_wp'` for
316 ```nix
317 ({ f ? (x: if x == 0 then true else !(f (x - 1))) }: f) {} n
318 ```
319 + We prove the total correctness of the following program for any non-recursive attribute set `e`:
320 ```nix
321 let x = 1; in with e; with { y = 2; }; x == y
322 ```
323 See `theories/nix/wp_examples.v:11`, `test_wp`.
324
325## Import tree definitions
326
327We do not claim to have (proper) support the `import` feature of Nix, but we do support it in a bare-bones fashion in order to be able to run the test suite.
328In the test suite, there is a file `lib.nix`, which a few test cases load by using `with import ./lib.nix; ...` (or something similar).
329To support this, we use a so-called import tree definition file, which pre-declares all files that may be imported.
330In the test suite, for example, we have created a `test/testdata/importdef.sexp` file, which looks like this:
331```
332(deps ./lib.nix)
333```
334This means that the file `lib.nix` should be available to be imported for all files in the `test/testdata` folder.
335Such `importdef.sexp` files are discovered automatically by walking up the directory tree from the path of the file to be evaluated (or in case of the REPL, from the current working directory).
336The general syntax (`<forest>`) is as follows: `(deps <tree>)`, where `<tree>` is either `<filename>` or `(<filename> <forest>)`
337
338In general, the primitive imports mechanism works as follows:
339
340- All path expressions (_e.g.,_ `./lib.nix`) in the Nix source file are converted to strings representing their absolute path.
341- We load all dependencies and evaluate them to NixLang values.
342- We put all of these values in a NixLang attribute set (`VAttr`, see `theories/nix/interp.v:14`), where we associate the NixLang value of each imported file with the original filename (as an absolute path).
343- We then create a NixLang function `import <filename>` (using `VClo`, see `theories/nix/interp.v:9`) that takes a string and returns the value for that file (if indeed forward-declared in the import tree definition).
344- This function is then inserted into the global environment of the file that we want to evaluate.
345
346This process is performed recursively, hence recursive imports are also supported.
347
348## Use of the Nix language tests
349
350When exercising the official Nix language tests on our extracted interpreter, we do not exactly consider all tests in the Nix test suite.
351Since we are only interested in tests for the interpreter, and not so much in tests for the parser, we only consider the `eval-*` test files in the `test/testdata` folder.
352There are two types of tests that we have here: tests where evaluation should succeed, and tests where evaluation should fail.
353This is simply marked in the filename; Nix files that should fail to evaluate are named `eval-fail-*.nix` and files that should evaluate successfully are named `eval-okay-*.nix`.
354For the former, there are expected error outputs that the interpreter should produce, but we are not interested in reproducing these (nor would this be realistic with our setup).
355
356For the latter, there are also expected output expressions, which can be found in matching `eval-okay-*.exp`.
357However, there are two `eval-okay-*.nix` files for which no such matching `eval-okay-*.exp` file exists:
358- `eval-okay-tail-call-1.nix`: a file `eval-okay-tail-call-1.exp-disabled` exists; we hence do not consider this test.
359- `eval-okay-xml.nix`: a file `eval-okay-xml.exp.xml` exists, but we are not interested in converting the resulting term to XML to validate the result of this test.
360
361The total amount of `eval-fail-*.nix` files and pairs of `eval-okay-*.nix` and `eval-okay-*.exp` files informs our total count of interpreter tests that we consider to begin with, namely 182 (§ 5, p. 21).
362For these tests again, we explicitly list 74 tests that should be ignored in `./test/test_mininix.ml`, since they cover functionality of Nix that is out of scope for our paper.
363We end up with 108 tests that we exercise our interpreter on.
364Our interpreter passes 103 of these tests, and times out for five tests due to its call-by-name nature.
365Some more details can be found in the paper, in § 5.
366
367## General project structure
368
369- The `theories` folder contains the Rocq formalization. See the [structure of the mechanization](#structure-of-the-mechanization).
370- The `bin` folder contains the entrypoint for the command-line interface.
371- The `lib` folder contains the Nix parser, elaborator and interpreter extraction
372 + The `nix` subfolder contains an adapted version of the parser and pretty-printer from nixformat (licensed under ISC) by Denis Korzunov.
373 See https://github.com/d2km/nixformat.
374 Some improvements were made to the parser and pretty-printer.
375 The file `elaborator.ml`, not part of nixformat, in this folder is concerned with desugaring attribute paths among other things; you may consider this a 'normalizing' stage, which allows the elaborator to our core language to be more concise.
376 + The `mininix` subfolder is the most important here. It contains, among
377 other files:
378 - `nix2mininix.ml`, elaboration of Nix into our core language
379 - `builtins.nix`, our implementation of builtins in Nix, in our core Nix language, where we liberally use 'core' builtins (available as binary operations) that are specific to the core language
380 - `conv.ml`, conversion between numeric types in OCaml and Rocq/Flocq
381 - `import.ml`, very bare-bones support for imports, used in the test suite
382 + The `extraction` folder contains a file that extracts the core language interpreter and some auxiliary functions to OCaml
383- The `explorer` folder contains some utilities for converting the Rocq Mechanization to a static site.